tseeb
Well-known member
My wife and I left San Jose about 6:20 am and arrived Sugar Bowl before 10. Signs said chain control ahead and some people in cars and big trucks put chains on, but I didn’t see a checkpoint and the road was mostly dry or only wet and not at all frozen to Sugar Bowl turnoff. Once on Old Highway 40, you needed chains or 4WD as road was snow-packed and narrow. Winds were strong in the unprotected parking lot, but I hoped it would be better skiing where Sugar Bowl claimed 8” new. My wife decided to wait for better conditions and ended up spending the day in the lodge where she downloaded some games for her iPhone. I met up with friends who had already taken a few runs on Judah chair and were ready to move to Lincoln chair that goes to highest point at Sugar Bowl. We took one run on Lincoln, where they were not letting you ski Silver Belt or even go into the steep faces below intermediate run. There was some powder, but unless very protected, was affected by winds which had gusted to over 100 mph previous day. My friends were waiting for others to catch-up, but my feet were already getting cold from lack of circulation in new boots so couldn’t wait and I went ahead. I cut across as high as I could towards the lower ‘58s and went down very steep and wind-affected face where there were few tracks and I hoped the twenty feet of new snow from last 10 days was stable.
I continued on to Disney chair which was running for the first time in a few days and found deep, less wind-affected snow along the edge of the skier’s left-most main run. Next chair ride I met up with someone who wanted to try Strawberry Fields, where it is not recommended to ski alone and there was a recent death, so we stayed as high to skier’s left as possible. They did not let you on the ridge, but we still hit it high enough to get some deep untracked turns. Next run I had noticed one of the intermediate runs was untracked and ski it, then headed right and found more deep snow under Disney cliffs. Finally I skied skier’s right of the chair where there was some good snow in the trees and continued to Lincoln chair. I skied right of Klein’s Schuss, but snow in usually great spot was very wind-affected. Returning to Judah base, I found good wind-packed snow on Donner’s Way, then went into lodge where I ran into former co-worker and spouse, plus my wife and four other friends. After a quick beer and slice of pizza my wife had saved for me, we went out and skied Jerome chair, where there was some good snow in the gully skier’s left at the top, but it quickly turned to wind-packed and possibly rain-affected mank. My friends quit early as they had a 6 year-olds birthday party to attend in Nevada City. I skied Judah about three more times and found some good wind-packed that nobody was skiing between Central Pacific and Steamer before quitting at 2:30. The night before I purchased $45 Sierra Avalanche Center ticket since I didn’t realize until printing that one of other Sugar Bowl tickets was only valid Mon-Fri. Now I need to go back or waste a ticket. 15 runs/13.3K vertical. Only picture from day is the buried Soda Springs store, while driving by, on the way out.
I continued on to Disney chair which was running for the first time in a few days and found deep, less wind-affected snow along the edge of the skier’s left-most main run. Next chair ride I met up with someone who wanted to try Strawberry Fields, where it is not recommended to ski alone and there was a recent death, so we stayed as high to skier’s left as possible. They did not let you on the ridge, but we still hit it high enough to get some deep untracked turns. Next run I had noticed one of the intermediate runs was untracked and ski it, then headed right and found more deep snow under Disney cliffs. Finally I skied skier’s right of the chair where there was some good snow in the trees and continued to Lincoln chair. I skied right of Klein’s Schuss, but snow in usually great spot was very wind-affected. Returning to Judah base, I found good wind-packed snow on Donner’s Way, then went into lodge where I ran into former co-worker and spouse, plus my wife and four other friends. After a quick beer and slice of pizza my wife had saved for me, we went out and skied Jerome chair, where there was some good snow in the gully skier’s left at the top, but it quickly turned to wind-packed and possibly rain-affected mank. My friends quit early as they had a 6 year-olds birthday party to attend in Nevada City. I skied Judah about three more times and found some good wind-packed that nobody was skiing between Central Pacific and Steamer before quitting at 2:30. The night before I purchased $45 Sierra Avalanche Center ticket since I didn’t realize until printing that one of other Sugar Bowl tickets was only valid Mon-Fri. Now I need to go back or waste a ticket. 15 runs/13.3K vertical. Only picture from day is the buried Soda Springs store, while driving by, on the way out.
